It all started when…

Twas the day before the first rehearsal and Marina Magdalena could not shake a growing sense of dread. Certainly she was no stranger to leading arts projects since she had pioneered workshops and performances in schools, communities centres, prisons and national third sector organisations throughout her career. And it wasn’t the weaving of real-life stories into a single narrative that bothered her since she had worked as a Director/writer/actor in theatre for many years too. No, what troubled Marina was a memory she wished would hurry and fade! It was the time she wrote a spoof of “Cinderella” and directed it in a mens prison. She chose a cheeky cockney lad (we‘ll call him Dave) to be Cinders and let’s say “Harry", a very tall and self obsessed Albanian, to be the prince. It was all going so well until Dave was put into discipline for frolicking with a cleaner the day before the performance leaving Marina to play the part of Cinderella in front of far too many raucous men. The slow dance to unchained melody lost its comedy value along with every trace of Marina’s professional dignity and respect. And now, she found herself here again, directing a performance in a volatile setting without fully knowing if those involved would stay involved.

Trying to find solace in a warm mug of tea, Marina took a deep breath before glancing over at her husband, quietly polishing his lenses…

Dominic Magdalena, designer and engineer, had realised he was a bit of renaissance man when he was sailing the world on a Classic William Fife Yacht. Somewhere between the Indian Ocean and St Tropez Dominic discovered a passion for photography which eventually took him from rolling seas to snow capped mountains, capturing tantalising shots for the adventure hungry masses. Dominic sat peacefully organising his kit, unaware of the tidal wave of thoughts rushing through his wife’s head.

Marina smiled sweetly at her husband as she passed him a mug of tea and Jaffa cakes. And in that moment she convinced him that she would no longer be an independent arts practitioner; acting, writing, directing and facilitating. No! She…or rather THEY, would be a company, merging theatre and photography into one genius production company where Marina would never again have to worry about dancing with Albanian criminals. Oh they would learn about the TV and Film industry, they would create original content that would be broadcast in 15 different countries and translated into various languages. They would diversify their skills in front of the camera, behind the camera and even buy a new camera. And they would call it Imaginarium. Or Imaginarium SEED, since Imaginarium was already taken.

And they truly did. They learnt, they failed, they succeeded and in their failures they learned to succeed. And in time Imaginarium became a company of artists who were proud to walk alongside each other.

Now the Magdalena pair had produced a mini Magdalena pair and found their passion for education only grew stronger as their children grew older. Knowing the value of creativity, the buzz of acting and producing and the incredibly wonderful world of film and television, the parents decided to find a brilliant tribe for their young ones to join and grow with. They were looking for somewhere that would teach their children to harness the power of their own imaginations and give them techniques without stifling freedom. They wanted a place where lifelong friendships would be formed and where every child and young person would be seen as a worthy guardian of their own unique Imaginations. Where there are no superstars or star pupils, just artists ready to unlock their creativity to the world. They wanted to entrust their children to old creative souls who would nurture self esteem, offer industry wisdom and unlock closed doors. The pair travelled near and far, down the M1 and across multiple online platforms, but the culture they sought couldn’t be found.

Marina brought her husband another hot cup of tea and handful of Jaffa cakes and he understood very well. Now this film and TV production company would take the lessons learned, friendships made and a growing passion for seeing young people released into the arts, and they would create Imaginarium Academy: the only online Film and TV academy offering young people a direct learning path into the most exciting, liberating and entertaining industry on earth!

Why online learning is fundamental to the growth and development of Imaginarium students?

Technology will transform the way we learn, but it is human connection, powered by our sociable brains, that truly expands our minds. Check out this TEDx talk by our Founder Marina Magdalena.